Somerville coach Paul Millar said his team has been talking about winning a conference championship since the fall.

It now has a chance to capture at least a share of a league title -- and perhaps more.

Somerville edged into sole possession of first place in the Skyland Conference, Raritan Division yesterday with an 11-4 victory over Ridge at Torpey Field in Bridgewater.

The triumph opens up a world of possibilities for the Somerville as it heads into its final division game against Delaware Valley tomorrow.

With a victory tomorrow, Somerville (11-3 overall, 8-1 division) clinches a share of the division crown. And if Ridge (10-5, 7-1) then stumbles in one of its final two league contests -- against Voorhees tomorrow and Warren Hills on May 22 -- Somerville will win the division title outright.

"It's huge. If they lose, we win the conference," said Somerville designated hitter Kyle Czarnecki, who was 2-for-4 with a two-run double and a run. "We're bringing the pride back to the program. This means so much to our team."

Somerville jumped on Ridge early, scoring three runs in the first inning, one in the second and three more in the third for a 7-2 lead through three innings. Adam Roche had a two-run single in the first, while Chris McTernan had a two-run single in the third. Brandon Sheh had an RBI in both the second and third innings, while Connor DePace had an RBI in the first.

Somerville was also the beneficiary of Ridge twice running itself out of potential rallies in the first and second innings. In the first, Somerville turned a 6-5-4-1-4 double play to end the inning. Then in the second, it followed up that effort with a 1-5-2-4-6-9 twin killing, both times trying for the lead out and starting rundowns.

Ridge crept back into the game, making it 7-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth after an RBI single by Sean Fuchs in the top half of the frame. But Somerville broke the game open after that, pushing four runs across in the fifth. Czarnecki's double was the back-breaking hit, with Eric Ciresa and DePace also chipping in RBI singles.

Somerville did have its struggles in the victory. It left 10 runners on base, made a few errors and starter Blaze Aranzullo struggled with control, walking eight over 4 2/3 innings but ultimately gutting out enough to get the victory.

"He got us through what we needed to get through," Millar said. "We could have [won with] a little more style. We had our lapses today. But we won."

Last season, Somerville finished second in the Raritan Division to current Valley Division member Pingry. Somerville had an opportunity to clinch a share in its final division game, which came against Pingry, but lost 2-0.

Now, it has a second chance.

"Everything is set up," Millar said. "We're undefeated at home. They're excited about it. One of their goals was to win the conference."